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Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Simplifying My Genealogy Life

I'm still here! I didn't forget you.

Things are going pretty well on the home front. The problem I'm having is juggling all the spinning plates. The family is crazy busy as always with a spouse out of the country and a teenager navigating high school. Most days, I'm a taxi, homework warden and cook. It has not been easy. It has been challenging, frustrating and stressful.

The professional side of genealogy is keeping me very busy. I divide time between a long-term project, one medium-term project and some small stuff. It is so fun. I'm doing things I'd never imagined. Thank goodness for library school because I draw on those skills every day.

Naturally, my own ancestral research has taken a back seat, and that depressing me a bit. But something had to give.

It took several months to accept that I couldn't do everything, and that was ok. I went to RootsTech. I talked to friends. I talked to vendors. I learned about new products and spent way too much time in the demo theater. I went to developer sessions even though I'm not a developer. I left feeling recharged and more confident that maybe I could spin all these plates.

Then as I was giving myself a mental pep talk about achieving balance and getting back to blogging, I got this stellar pat on the back from a fellow genealogy blogger.

Yeah. Talk about getting kicked when you're down. Not really a big deal, but not nice either.

So I took another few weeks to sort things out and I started cleaning my genealogy house.

I unfriended several genealogy folks on Facebook who either annoy me or haven't really established a connection in years.

I unfollowed many genealogy Twitter accounts that either just promote their own stuff or duplicate what they say on their Facebook and Google+ accounts.

I took a break from reading genealogy blogs. Sorry! It's just that so many posts were complaints about Ancestry.com or the new FamilySearch web site or other things. I just needed a break from negativity.

I realized that I'm a librarian and approach genealogy as such, so I joined a professional library group to keep my genealogy research skills sharp. My professional development probably won't come from the genealogy community or APG, and that's ok. I know what I need.

Then for another few weeks, I worked and worked on my client stuff. And I yelled at my kid to do his homework. And I dropped off and picked up my husband from the airport every week. The weeks just looked the same and they all flew by.

This is where I am right now. I've simplified my genealogy life. No drama. No nonsense. No cares given whether you count my conference blog posts or not.

My blog started as a conversation with myself so my family wouldn't have to listen to my genealogy stories. It really is written as though I'm seated at a table, talking to a wall. Then an audience found me so I added more seats to the table.

I hope you've enjoyed the conversation and will continue to do so. I think I've managed to find a way to keep all the plates spinning, so blog content should pick up. Thanks for reading.

Amy, your blog is one of the ones I ALWAYS check - you always have something interesting/funny/insightful to say. And when life comes along and keeps you away for a while, that's fine, too. Because that's also my life these days. Not much time for genealogy fun. But, hey, we're also gainfully employed and like what we do. Your decision to avoid/eliminate negativity is also spot on.

Almost the same here Dahling. Lots of client work, no time for blogging. Today I blogged for the first time since February! As for the nitpicker - she knows not what she speak of. i.e. she's a hater and you know what they say about haters - always going to hate.

Good for you Amy! Taking the time to sort out what's really important is sometimes the best thing we can do. It's unfortunate that a few negative people can have the impact they do. It's even more unfortunate that good people like you take what they say to heart even when it's not worth paying attention to. You have a lot of friends who will always support you. As for the social media "friends," the unfriend option is sometimes the best. I love libraries and all that they represent. I can see why that would appeal to you. I hope we see you at Jamboree. Best wishes!

All the best Amy. I think the blogpost from the nitpicker shows up more about the negative-Nellie-nitpicker than you. All of your followers can't be wrong:) Thanks for all your generous posts, all of the time and effort you put into your genealogy and for sharing it with us.

A quote from Facebook that someone added a few days back ... "If someone treats you like s*!t, just remember that there is something wrong with them, not you. Normal people don't go around destroying other human beings"

Amy, if there was a Like button on all of the comments above this one, I'd be hitting them! Life is short, do what feels good to you and apologize to no one. I've spent years trying to find my own positive tribe to hang out with. I count you among them.

Amy, Glad you are OK. I was going to write this week since you weren't at NGS and haven't written for some time. So many times we (parents, spouses, women, etc) have to step back and think about ourselves. Glad you are taking that time. Look forward to seeing you at Jamboree.

I know exactly what you mean about the "spinning plates" syndrome. Every since i started Twitter a year ago along with genealogy research, i've been thinking "How do people do all this?" And a blog too? Webinars? Chats? Hangouts? Reading genealogy books? Saturday night challenges? Videos? What the hey?

Slowly I realized that people really don't do all this. Everyone has to pare the work down to a sane level. All those voices inside your head telling you that "You really should ..." just have to shut up. Many genealogy tweeps are highly stressed about their work pace, and it just isn't worth it. Nothing is.

That article from "The Genealogy Nitpicker" was so unfair. I hope you can scrub it out of your mind. It's the same stupid do-everything mentality. If she wants it "done right," she can do it herself.

My paring-down so far is to blog no more than once a week, along with my family research. That's a finite goal. I like reading and commenting on other blogs, so I do that. But I do none of the other stuff right now.

I'm just about finished with my "archiving" pile. I want to be totally available when (knock on wood) our first grandchlld arives in August.

If anyone starts a Sanity in Genealogy club, I'd join. We wouldn't have meetings, because that takes time. We'd just know we're out there. : )))

"Juggling all the spinning plates"...that's so awesomely visual. And if you've felt like that lately, then good for you for getting rid of some of those plates.

As a mom of five kids, I totally understand how it is to be a taxi driver, cook, and all the other things that go with having kids. I'm no longer needed as a taxi driver though because my kids are all adults and have graduated from high school now. =)

I didn't like all those negative blog posts either. Personally, I like the FamilySearch redesign and hey! It's free! And I do like Ancestry.com too.

Good for you! I've found that's the part of genealogy I struggle with the most. Finding time to "keep up" with the ever-changing landscape, make connections, plus keep the household running. I've scaled back on my blogging too because I stopped doing it for me and was too worried about other people's opinions on what I was doing than my own. So now I'm working on getting back to the roots of my research and finding my blogging voice again, which started as exactly what you said, talking genealogy with myself so that I'd stop boring my family!

Amy, no worries, good for you for finding your balance. it's NOT easy and there are always things that you are going to "let slide" and that's OK....Trust me you are have been and will always be an inspiration to me and I will enjoy your updates regardless if they come daily, or monthly or every six months....

Just wanted to say hi and tell you that I couldn't agree more with your frustrations. The Genealogical Kleptomaniacs, as I call them, are breeding like rabbits and are gaining an "I know everything because I have an Ancestry account" gene. Hang in there. Their passion will die off eventually and they'll move on to new obsessions. All the best, Kim

I think that it is good to get some time off from blogging even if it is from time to time. About the article the blogger wrote, just shrug it off. There is a Mexican saying "no soy monedita de horo para caerle bien a todos" translation "I am not a Gold Coin so that I may be liked by everyone".

It takes more courage to simplify than to be a yes woman to everyone. I applaud you for stepping back and doing what you need to do. I know how hard the temporarily single mom thing can be. Just remember you are a Rock Star!!